Led by Meaghan Stephenson ‘17, the Facebook page “Everyday Body Confidence” inspires individuals to be proud of who they are and embrace confidence as a way of life. Originally begun by Stephenson, EBC has grown to include other TA students Nikki Ledoux, Danny Rand, Kaitlyn Genest, Emily Camire, and Julie Vail serve as editors and production supports for the page. However, the effect that this group has had does not stop there. EBC has been featured on both WMTW and NowThis (an online Social News site) and the page has hundreds of likes and followers.

Stephenson reports that most responses to the page have been positive and support their goal to support all as they combat negative body image and learn to value individuality and their own uniqueness. She believes that “ everyone has something to be proud of and when you can look at yourself in the mirror and say: "I am beautiful. I am courageous. I am confident," that's when something changes and you can go from only admiring people to being the source of somebody else's admiration.” Even though body confidence can fluctuate, this group promotes positive perceptions of themselves and a minimization of self-criticism.

Going forward, the group plans to harness the momentum they have to engage more than just teenagers. They realize that low self-confidence does not just affect people of a certain age group, and they hope that people of any age will interact with their page. They are even reaching out internationally, and a recent post highlighted a student in Spain and featured text in Spanish.

Thornton Academy promotes the Pillars of compassion and investment, and these students demonstrate both as they advocate for positive self image. They encourage others to realize that nobody is perfect, but life can be better through self acceptance and appreciation. Any student experiencing low self-esteem should also contact their guidance counselor to receive appropriate support from a trained professional.